Passenger-driven carrousel



Dec. 7, 1965 F. SEGNA ETAL 3,222,062

PASSENGER-DRIVEN CARROUSEL Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR5 FAUSTl/VO EEG/VA ADE/4N0 SEGIVA ATTORNEYS Dec. 7, 1965 F. SEGNA ETAL 3,222,062

PASSENGER-DRIVEN CARROUSEL Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5 F4U577/V0 SEE/V4 ADP/A/VO SEE/VA wg vm a? (20.66%

ATTORNEYS United States Patent G 3,222,062 PASSENGER-DRIVEN CARROUSEL Faustina Segna and Adriano Segna, both of 232 John St., Orillia, Ontario, Canada Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,236 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-33) The present invention relates to carrousels. More particularly, this invention relates to a passenger-driven carrousel having a suspended circular track and chairs hanging from said track, adapted to rotate therearound.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a carrousel having a suuspended circular track which is adjustably aifixed to a top post mounted on a pedestal, and which i adjustable to any desired practicable angle off the pure horizontal.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a passenger-driven carrousel having a plurality of chairs suspended from a plurality of wheels mounted on a circular track which is supported by a pedestal, said chairs being adapted to be rocked by the passenger, affecting a drive on at least one of said wheels, causing said wheels and hence said chairs to be driven around said track.

Another object of the invention is to provide adjustment means whereby the rocking of said suspended chairs at constant speed will drive said wheels around said track at varying rates of speed.

A further object is to provide means whereby said suspended chairs will be centrifugally impelled outward from the supporting pedestal during rotation of said wheels and suspended chairs around said track.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a passenger-driven carrousel comprising in combination, a pedestal, a post tiltably mounted on said pedestal, a circular track surrounding said post and being supported thereby via track support arms extending outwardly from said post, a plurality of pairs of grooved wheels rotatably mounted on said circular track, each of said pairs of wheels being united by a cross-bar, a chair support arm pivotally suspended from each of said cross bars, a chair rockably supported at the lower end of each of said chair support arms, a ratchet drive arm pivotally attached at its lower end adjacent the forward portion of each of said chairs and at its upper end to a pawl mounted on one of said air of wheels, said pawl co-operating with ratchet teeth recessed in said wheel and causing rotation of said wheel when the chair therebelow is rocked, an arbour extending centrally upwardly from said post, a collar in sliding engagement on said arbour, and a plurality of connecting arms each pivotally connected at one end to one of said wheel cross bars and at the other end pivotally connected to said sliding collar.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a passenger-driven carrousel according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial side plan view of the drive wheel, the trailing wheel, and a chair according to the invention; and,

FIGURE 3 is a partial side plan view of the tilting post and drive wheel according to the invention.

The following detailed description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the invention should be limited only by the scope of the accompanying claims, and that the following description is by way of illustration only.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, a pedestal is supported at its base by a plurality of arms 11. A tiltable post indicated generally at 12 is supported at the top of pedestal 10, extending outwardly from tiltable post 12 are a plurality of track support arms 13 terminating in 3,222,062 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 upwardly extending portions 13a, supporting circular track 14. Mounted on track 14 are two pairs of wheels indicated generally at 15 and 16. Wheels 15 are united by cross bar 17 and wheels 16 are united by cross bar 18. Seat support arm 19 is pivotally attached at its upper end 20 to cross bar 18, while seat support arm 21 is similarly attached to cross bar 17. Seat support arm 19 is journaled at its lower end in a collar 22 (see FIG- URE 2) fixedly attached to the underside of'seat 23. Projecting from arm 24 of chair 23 is finger 25 provided with a plurality of holes or other attachment means 26 adapted to receive the lower end of ratchet drive arm 27. Ratchet drive arm 27 is connected at its upper end to pawl 28 near the outer end thereof. Pawl 28 is pivotally mounted at its other end to wheel cross bar 18, and is in engagement with ratchet teeth 29 recessed within drive wheel 16A. Ratchet 28 is of course, spring-loaded, and through ratchet teeth 29 drives drive wheel 16a in the direction of arrow 30 when chair 23 is rocked about the axis of collar 22, by a passenger seated therein.

With reference now to FIGURE 3, a post '31 is adjustably mounted on pedestal 10 by a plurality of bolts 32. It will be seen that by adjusting the relative position of the nuts 32a which are threa-dably engaged on bolts 32 that post 31 may be tilted in relation to vertical pedestal 10. In other words, while post 31 is illustrated in vertical position it can be tilted from the vertical by adjustment of nuts 32a. Post 31 sup-ports an arbour 33. A collar 34 having flanges 35 and 36 is slidably mounted on arbour 33 and is free to slide in the direction of arrow 37, such sliding being limited at the bottom by the top of post 31 and at the top by the head 38 on arbour 33.

Connecting arms 39 and 40 (see FIGURE 1), of whicl: connecting arm '39 is illustrated in FIGURE 3, is pivotally attached to flange 39 on collar 34 at 41, and at its other end is pivotally attached at 42 to a projectior 43 extending from the axle of drive wheel 16a. Drive wheel 16a and follower wheel 16b (as well as wheel: 15) may be constructed of any suitable material, bu drive wheel 16a and drive wheel 15a will desirably be provided with a lining in the grooves thereof (in groove portion 44 in the case of drive wheel 16a) to provide for good traction on track 14.

In operation, passengers seated in the seats of the carrousel may, by alternately leaning backwards and for wards cause the seat to pivot about the axis of the sup porting collars thereunder, thus actuating the ratche drive arms and the pawls which co-operate with thc ratchet teeth in drive wheels 15a and 16a to cause rota tions thereof and hence the rotation of the supporter chairs around circular track 14. Suflicient speed is ob tained to cause the chairs to be thrown outward by cen trifugal force, and the provision of sliding collar 34 or arbour 33 will compensate for the relative difference ir distance between the axis of wheels 15 and 16 and centrt arbour 33.

If desired, the relative angle of post 31 to pedesta 10 may be altered by adjustment of bolts 32, so that eacl passenger, rocking in his chair, will in fact be coasting dur ing one half of each circuit, and the added dimension 0 riding up and then down will be added to the circula ride as well as the effect of centrifugal force throwing th passenger outward from'the path defined by circula track 14.

In addition, by adjusting the lower end of the ratche drive arms outwardly on the forwardly projecting finger on the chairs, relatively greater speed may be obtained.

What I claim is:

1. A passenger-driven carrousel comprising in com bination, a pedestal, a post tiltably mounted on sai edestal, a circular track surrounding said post and being ipported thereby via tracksupport arms extending outardly from said .post, a plurality of pairs of grooved 'heels rotatably mounted on said circular track, each of aid pairs of wheels being united by a cross-bar, a chair ipport arm pivotally suspended from each of said cross ars, a chair rockahly supported atthe lower end of ach of said chair support arms, a ratchet drive arm pivtally attached at its lower end adjacent the forward ortion of each of said chairs and at its upper end to pawl mounted on each of said cross-bars on one of lid pair of wheels, said pawl co-operating with ratchet :eth recessed in said wheel and causing rotation of said 'heel when the chair therebelow is rocked, an arbor ex- :nding centrally upwardly from said post; a collar in iding engagement on said arbor, and a plurality of con- 4, necting arms each pivotally connected at one end to one of said wheel cross bars and at the other end pivotally connected to said sliding collar.

2. A passenger-driven carrousel according to claim 1 each of said chairs being provided with a forwardly projecting finger having a plurality of attachment means therealong adapted to pivotally receive the lower end of said ratchet drive, arm;

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,142,970 6/1915 Koehler 27233 1,456,228 5/1923 Franklin 27233 2,730,366 1/1956 Etherington 272-33 RICHARDC. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PASSENGER-DRIVEN CARROUSEL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PEDESTAL, A POST TILTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PEDESTAL, A CIRCULAR TRACK SURROUNDING SAID POST AND BEING SUPPORTED THEREBY VIA TRACK SUPPORT ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID POST, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF GROOVED WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CIRCULAR TRACK, EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF WHEELS BEING UNITED BY A CROSS-BAR, A CHAIR SUPPORT ARM PIVOTALLY SUSPENDED FROM EACH OF SAID CROSS BARS A CHAIR ROCKABLY SUPPORTED AT THE LOWER END OF EACH OF SAID CHAIR SUPPORT ARMS, A RATCHET DRIVE ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED AT ITS LOWER END ADJACENT THE FORWARD PORTION OF EACH OF SAID CHAIRS AND ITS UPPER END TO A PAWL MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID CROSS-BARS ON ONE OF SAID PAIR OF WHEELS, SAID PAWL CO-OPERATING WITH RATCHET TEETH RECESSED IN SAID WHEEL AND CASING ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL WHEN THE CHAIR THEREBELOW IS ROCKED, AN ARBOR EXTENDING CENTRALLY UPWARDLY FROM SAID POST, A COLLAR IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT ON SAID ARBOR, AND A PLURALITY OF CONNECTING ARMS EACH PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO ONE OF SAID WHEEL CROSS BARS AND AT THE OTHER END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SLIDING COLLAR. 